How to Hide a Baby Bump In Photos: A Guide For Bloggers

One of the best things about being pregnant is watching a tiny baby bump grow day by day. For any number of reasons though, you might want to hide that little baby bump for a while, especially if you're a blogger. I thought I'd put this guide together to show you how to hide a baby bump.

Hiding the baby bump with a printed dress | Hiding a baby bump with an empire waist

When I was pregnant with toddler T, I was keeping the baby bump hidden until after 20 weeks, once we had shared with our families and friends over Christmas and I had returned to the office from extended leave and told my boss. With my most recent pregnancy, I wanted to participate in the Frocktober fundraising challenge which meant I couldn't hide the bump for quite as long. My limited wardrobe (a different dress every day for 31 days) wasn't most conductive to hiding a bump, unlike when I was pregnant with toddler T and could select from my entire wardrobe.

Top three tips for hiding a baby bump:

• Continue to wear your regular pants/skirts for as long as possible. Use the hair tie trick, or invest in a belly band for clothes without elastic waists. Some skirts with elastic waists can be worn a little higher over the baby belly if it doesn't make them too short.
• Favour clothes that skim over any emerging baby bump. Think empire waists, trapeze tops, skater skirts and fit and flare dresses. Anything that flows rather than clings.
• Accessorise! Use scarves to hide bumps, and prints and layers to distract attention from your belly.

Wearing a skirt above the bump | Hiding a belly with a half tucked shirt

Trapeze top to skim a baby belly | Printed tank to disguise a baby bump

As well as following the pointers above, there are a few things you can do if you're a personal style/fashion blogger and you just want to hide the bump in photos. Be aware that while these tricks do work well in photos, they won't always hide the baby belly in person.

Hiding a baby bump in photos:

• Pick your angle. Facing straight on to the camera is the best way to reduce or disguise the size of a baby bump.
• Take photos as early in the day as possible. The more you eat, the bigger your belly gets, especially in the early stages.
• Accessorise. Same as above, you can hide a bump with clever layering, a scarf, or even just hiding behind a handbag!
• Never tuck any tops in. A half tuck hides a little bump quite well, but firmly tucking a top into a skirt or pair of pants just highlights a baby belly.
• Avoid clingy fabrics. You want things that skim over your bump.
• If you have a photographer, get their feedback. If you have a professional photographer, or just someone helping you with photos, ask them for the best angles / views to disguise a baby belly as they are shooting.
• Change your pose. It feels extremely silly, but I found this works well if you're standing straight on to the camera. Not so much if you're standing at an angle! Stand up straight, and push your butt back a bit, letting anything you're wearing fall in a straighter line over the baby belly. Perfect if you're wearing looser clothing, it will skim rather than hug your frame.
• Sit down. It's much easier to hide a bump when you're sitting instead of standing.
• Practice. Take a few more photos than you usually would to make sure you're getting the photos you want, showcasing your great outfit and not the baby belly you aren't ready to spill the beans about yet!

Skinny jeans and a belly band | Hiding a baby bump behind a bag

Hiding a Baby Bump in the office:

I shot this video in the second trimester that might be helpful for anyone wanting to keep a pregnancy secret for a little while longer in the office. 8 different outfits you can wear at work to hide an early bump.

I hope you found this guide helpful! Feel free to pin or share. You can check out more pregnancy outfit inspiration here too.


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Green Maternity Tops and Maxi Skirts, Balenciaga Day Bag

Baby has arrived, but I've got a couple more pregnancy outfits scheduled to share on the blog. The benefit of being so behind with blogging was that I could schedule a lot of posts to carry me over the newborn time, when getting dressed into 'proper' clothes isn't high on the list of priorities!


It was such a hot and humid few days when I wore these outfits. I felt comfortable in them but wasn't in the best mood when taking photos. I just setup the camera and clicked, not realising that my necklaces were a little screwed up in both photos. Real life is never perfect though, so I'm sharing them anyway. And at 39 weeks pregnant, you just want to get out the house, do what you have to do, then go home and nap when the toddler does!

What I wore: 

Sunglasses: Ray-Ban new Wayfarers
Necklace: Roie Designs pearl and antique gold long necklace
Singlet: Jeanswest maternity tank in sea glass
Skirt: Target grey marle maxi skirt
Shoes: black slim Havaianas thongs
Bracelets: the usual plus Roie Designs waxed leather cream howlite beaded wrap bracelet
Bag: Balenciaga giant hardware Day bag in 2009 tempete

Why I wore it:

I was surprised to find I hadn't worn this tank and maxi skirt before - guess I had a few more outfit options in my third trimester capsule wardrobe than I thought!

This was perfect for a morning out with hubby and toddler T. Unfortunately there was a minor car accident on the way to toddler T's swim lesson, but thankfully just superficial damage to the car as it was stopped at the lights at the time the other driver hit it. Everyone involved was fine, and we will be able to get the scratches fixed at a later date once baby has arrived. Booking the car in for a repair and being car-less when going into labour was not a fun prospect!


Last worn: Ray-Ban Wayfarer, green maternity tank, grey maxi skirt, Havaianas, Balenciaga tempete day bag.

Other ways to wear: green maternity tank and lace kimono, grey maxi skirt and a black tank, Balenciaga tempete day bag and a printed maxi dress.

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Bargain Pre-Owned Balenciaga Day bags:

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What I wore:

Sunglasses: Ray-Ban new Wayfarers
Necklace: Jeanswest Taki necklace (C/O)
Tee: Jeanswest Sonny maternity tee in lagoon marle (C/O)
Skirt: Target black and white striped maxi skirt
Shoes: black slim Havaianas thongs
Bag: Balenciaga giant hardware Day bag in 2009 tempete

Why I wore it:

At 39 weeks, this top is being pushed to the limits (even though it's a maternity tee!) as baby has really dropped down. The bottom hem isn't as fitted or elasticated as the tank above so it doesn't fit snugly under the bump any more. Just as well the stretchy elastic waist of the maxi skirt lets me wear it a little higher around the bump so I'm not flashing any baby belly out in public!

Wore this to run a few more errands, stocking up the house with more food before baby's arrival. We'd been grocery shopping the week before but hadn't wanted to buy too much food, just in case I wouldn't be home to eat it.


Last worn: maternity tee, striped maxi skirt, Havaianas (above), Balenciaga tempete day bag (above).

Other ways to wear: maternity tee and pencil skirt for the office, striped maxi skirt in winter without a baby bump, Balenciaga tempete day bag and burgundy pants.

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